Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill at City Center in Newport News has been open for about eight months, but no matter. The main man is coming to town next week to give the joint his official blessing.

Toby Keith will attend a ribbon cutting 2 p.m. 1 p.m. Thursday, June 13, a message from a California publicity firm announced Thursday. That ceremony will be preceded by press interviews and a private meet and greet for winners of contests run by WGH-FM (97.3) and WUSH-FM (106.1).

It's unclear how much of Keith's visit will be in a public setting, but a publicist said that it's likely that the restaurant will remain open during the events of June 13.

Here's more on the I Love This Bar & Grill chain from an invitation to the event.

**********

Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill's winning recipe is helping it spread across the United States, where nearly two dozen restaurant/bars will open by the end of 2013. Each Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill has a strong patriotic theme (just like in some of Toby's music) with a red, white and blue color scheme. Every ice-cold, frosty draft beer is served in a Mason jar by a smiling Whiskey Girl. The full comfort food menu boasts ribs, wings, steaks, BBQ chicken, sandwiches and salads, along with a variety of tantalizing appetizers and joyously sinful desserts. Signature menu items include a pulled pork sandwich, a fried bologna sandwich and the American Soldier Special (cheeseburger, fries and soda), which is a free, one time only offer, to active military with I.D. Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill has also developed original cocktails made with Toby Keith's Wild Shot premium mezcal, including "Swamp Water," "Blue Mezcalita", and the "All-American Jar." (Drink availability varies with location.)

Music is a big part of Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill's atmosphere. Throughout the day, huge flat-screen televisions play country music videos. On most nights, each restaurant/bar features live bands (DJs fill in the off nights) on a spacious stage with formidable sound and lighting systems as well as two private "barns" and a VIP-only area adjacent to the stage. In the last few years, the Mesa, AZ, Denver, and Minneapolis locations received Academy of Country Music nominations for Nightclub of the Year. With Time magazine calling I Love This Bar & Grill one of its Top 10 Celebrity Restaurants, and the Huffington Post naming it in their "25 Best Celebrity-Owned Restaurants," it's clear Toby has brought his restaurant/bar utopia to life ...